December 20, 2011

Koreans Push Shift to Converged Experiences

Consumers in South Korea are at the forefront of social and mobile TV user experiences and a move toward a video-anywhere lifestyle, according to a global study released by Motorola Mobility. The study also showed that consumer hunger for social media connectivity and demand for “anytime, anywhere” entertainment in Asia is driving the most dramatic industry convergence in the past 20 years and radically shifting the traditional TV viewing experience.

Motorola Mobility’s 2011 Media Engagement Barometer – an independent global study of video consumption habits among consumers in 16 markets, including China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Australia – shows several major themes redefining the home ecosystem and consumer entertainment experience. This year’s study found that consumers across the region are hungry for mobile TV, social TV, connected home and personal cloud services.

“Asian consumers are constantly connected – and they want ubiquitous access to their content and communities,” said Kevin Keefe, vice president and regional general manager, Asia Pacific home business, Motorola Mobility. “They don’t care about the technology to make all of this happen; they simply want it to work and expect it to fit into their daily routines. The convergence trends emerging in the region offer a tremendous opportunity for our customers to capitalize on delivering this simple, intuitive experience in the home.”

The study shows that Korean consumers are quick to take up new technologies and emerging services to fulfill their hunger for content consumption. The data shows an increase of almost 2.5 times in social TV users over the past year (from 31 percent in 2010 to 76 percent in 2011) and a sevenfold increase in respondents who watch TV on smartphones. Among 16 markets surveyed, Korea’s adoption of mobile TV was second only to China. In addition, 76 percent of Korean respondents showed interest in cloud-based services, ranking second highest in Asia Pacific.